Introduction into Track and Field

Track and Field, also known as "Track and Field Sports" also "Track and Field Athletics" is a sport that has various competitive athletic contests revolved around the activities running, jumping and throwing. Track and Field is held in a stadium, with a oval running track, that surrounds usually a football field, or grassy area, where most jumping and throwing events are held. Most of the events are individual sports with many athletes, and competitors going head to head with each other to decide one victor. With running events, the victor is chosen by the one competitor that finishes the fastest, unlike running, jumping and throwing the victor is decided by the one who achieved the great distance or height.

Running events are sorted into sprinting, middle distance, and distance. In jumping the events are long jump, triple jump, high jump and pole vault. In throwing the events are shot put, javelin, discus and hammer.For each running group they are associated with certain events in there category, like for example sprinters are usually associated with 100 meter, 200 m, 400 m races etc. For middle distance usually the events that are associated with them are the 800 m, the mile, and 2 mile race. Distance runners usually are associated with 5,000m(3.1 mile race) and 10,000m(6.2 mile race). Track and Field is very interesting to watch and see schools and professional athletes compete.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Track_and_field

"A lot of people run a race to see who is fastest. I run to see who has the most guts, who can punish himself into exhausting pace, and then at the end, punish himself even more."- Steve Prefontaine 

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift."- Steve Prefontaine

"You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there. Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement."- Steve Prefontaine

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/s/steve_prefontaine.html 

Cross Country Racing

Like in other sports there are designated places and spots where certain sporting event are held. In Cross Country we run at different school courses. Usually school courses host both the Varsity course and the 2.1 course. The Varsity course is different in the fact that the varsity runners must run an additional loop or extra ground to cover the 3.1 mile requirement for their race, unlike varsity the rest of the team runs the standard 2.1 mile course.

Before the start running groups, JV (Junior Varsity), FS ( Freshman and Sophomores) and Varsity are assigned to a designated box. Within this box is the line for the team to start off in. Usually the fastest starting runners in front. For big groups usually the first 5 fastest runners are in front. This is common because they are like the pace setters for the rest of the team behind them. Through out the course there are markers that signal which direction the runners should be going. The markers, and guidelines for the directions of the course are taken seriously, if a runners goes off the course they are immediately disqualified.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_country_running